Canada's First Female Daily Sports Radio Host Succeeds in Industry Of

Feature Canada’s First Female Daily Sports Radio Host Succeeds in Industry of Suits In the world of sports broadcasting, she’s been the first of many. But she surely doesn’t want to be the last. Andi Petrillo has proven that she’s here to stay, and with an impressive resume that includes names like CBC and TSN, she’s faced the glass ceiling and shattered it. Trailblazing her way to a prolific career in a male- Andi Petrillo became Canada’s first female daily sports radio host as the new voice of Leafs dominated industry Lunch (CNW Group/TSN2) Photo by Darren Goldstein/DSG Photo. hasn’t been intentional for Petrillo. In fact, she was unaware of many of these firsts. “When I went to Hockey Night in Canada and they said I was the first female to be full time in studio, I had no clue. It was never my goal, it just kind of happened,” she said. And as for becoming the first woman to have her own sports radio talk show in the country: “I had no clue about the radio thing, and on the night of International Women’s Day, there was the Canadian Screen Awards. I ended up winning best sports host only to find out that I became the first female to win best sports host,” Petrillo said. Then, in February of this year, she became Canada’s first female daily sports radio host as the host of TSN 1050’s Leafs Lunch radio show. Nevertheless, her success also points to an alarming reality: “There is a part of me that is so happy and proud of that but then there is another part that’s so sad. I’m like really, 2016? That’s when a lot of these firsts are happening?” she exclaimed. As a journalism student at Seneca College, a career in sports wasn’t seen as an option. She was a natural presenter, so her path was assumed as a news reporter or anchor. In fact, she may never have taken a career in the sports world if it wasn’t for a comment from her instructor at the time, Jeff Howatt, after noting her performance during the sports section of a weekly broadcast. “He said, ‘Do you not notice a difference in your voice, a difference in your energy? You look like you’re having so much fun when you do sports!’ And I said, ‘Well I love sports and I love everything about sports. I’m a big hockey fan’. “[I]t was this big moment…that peaked my interests and I never really let it go,” she said. Sure enough, those words led to a pursuit in sports journalism, beginning as a volunteer with Rogers TV York Region. It wasn’t long before she encountered her first battle as the woman in the room. There was concern about having two females on the anchor desk – something that Petrillo found dumbfounding. “I was just sitting there looking at my station manager like I don’t even understand the words coming out of your mouth,” she said. As an only child in a progressive household, gender didn’t define her upbringing. “I learned how to do laundry and I learned how to change a tire on my car,” she said. Realities like that might be difficult to swallow for some, but for Petrillo, her unwavering grit remained. “I guess you could say that there was some ignorance there, I heard the words, but I didn’t really pay attention. I didn’t let it affect me. I didn’t let it jade me. I went about my merry business,” she said. Despite the difficult Andi Petrillo on the Rio 2016 CBC broadcast set moments, Petrillo’s journey can’t be characterized by moments of sexism in an industry of suits. In fact, she’s met many wonderful people along the way. From Rogers Television York Region Station Manager Lisa McClean Stellick to Trevor Pilling, Head of Programming, CBC Sports & Assistant General Manager, Olympics – CBC Television, many people have been willing to “open doors” for her. As for Petrillo, she likes to pay it forward. “Do you want to be the token female in a group of men, or would you rather be part of a treasure chest full of gold?” asks the gregarious 36-year-old. “I’d rather be helpful to other women if it means opening a door, or helping them out, pushing them forward, bringing them along,” she said. It’s this giving attitude that’s led to much of her success, and has governed her conduct in a cut-throat industry – while also leading her to opportunities such as her stint at Leafs TV. “It’s all about networking and treating people with respect. I happened to bump into a cameraman who I worked with back at Rogers TV during a golf tournament that we were both covering and happened to mention – half joking, half not – that if there is a job available at Leafs TV let me know,” said Petrillo. The camera operator eventually called to let her know auditions were on and the rest as they say is history. Much of her attitude has been inspired by other great industry Photo by Darren Goldstein/DSG Photo. professionals. People like James Duthie at TSN, and the CBC’s Elliotte Friedman and Scott Russell are those she looks up to both personally and professionally. But long-time anchor Ron MacLean has remained a steadfast supporter through some of the uncertainty she faced going into hosting the Olympics (she will host CBC Sports coverage from Rio this summer). “I latched on to Ron MacLean like crazy and was like, ‘You have to give me advice’. So before every Hockey Night in Canada game on Saturdays, he and I would meet and he would ask me what questions I had for him and how do you want to do this or that,” she said. The Olympics (she’s hosted the Pan Ams, as well) have been particularly special for Petrillo because she remembers looking up to former equestrian athlete and CBC Sports analyst Terry Leibel and thinking it would be incredible to one day be sitting in that seat. Petrillo advises other women to not use their gender unnecessarily to justify why they might not have gotten the gig. A hard work ethic is what drives her to continue in the daily grind of pro-sports. “I need to make sure that I am good at what I do so people don’t say that I got the job because they needed a woman to do the job. No, I got the job because I’m damn good and other women can do it too,” she said. -30- .

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